Keep Life
So what was life like in the early-renaissance, you ask? Did they have this? Or that? How about those things! Consider this a quick and dirty primer on all things late-medieval, and so your quick-reference guide on daily life within the Keep. Electricity, Heating and Lighting Way back in ye ole days of yore, there was no electricity. This is just as true for the Keep, with a few notable exceptions. The Library has a number of outlets on it's top-most floor. They're used to power some anachronistic gaming consoles, but nobody would object to guests using them to charge the rare laptop. The kitchen in The Great Keep boasts a refrigerator, the only one in the whole castle. The cook will likely be very unimpressed if it is unplugged or messed with for any reason. Finally, there is a lone washing machine in the Clothier's Tower. It's used for laundry. Really, you shouldn't try and unplug it either. Other than that, lighting is provided by open flame, in various forms. Wall sconces filled with oil, portable oil lamps, wax taper candles and torches either in-hand or in brackets all serve as light sources in the dark hours. Heat (and extra light) is almost entirely provided by open fireplaces. These can be found in most communal rooms and serve the dual purpose of heating the place up and cooking food or boiling water. Stoves are all metal grill-tops and wood-fed and ovens are also wood-fire. Anywhere hot water might be needed and is not on tap, a fire will not be far away. The final real technological anachronism is the elevators. These are, however, not run by electricity at all. They're all fashioned of very highly polished wood, with rather beautifully carved buttons. Anyone who gets up on the castle roofs often enough will notice that over every elevator shaft hunches a rather ugly stone gargoyle, riddled with similar sorts of carvings and grasping a great chain. The gargoyles pull the elevators. If a gargoyle is broken, the elevator will probably stop working. Water and Plumbing There is precious little pre-heated water to be found in the Keep. Back in the old days, water had to be boiled over a fire if you wanted it hot. While this is not always the case in this castle, it is still true for the most part. The only towers with hot, running water are the Clothier's Tower and Marigold's Tower. If characters want a hot bath in the barracks or hot dish-washing water in The Great Keep, then they are going to have to boil it themselves. This is why most dishes get washed in the lower scullery. It's easier to cart plates than buckets. There is, however, indoor plumbing, and bathrooms are marked on the map. Any building with a bathroom marked can be expected to have running water, albeit usually cold. If your character wishes to shower in the privacy of their own room, they're going to have to bear it cold. Any room without a bathroom marked on its map does not have running water, but will likely have a basin or cistern available with a pitcher for drinking water. This water is stored in a reservoir or tank on the roof and, when a tap is opened, uses gravity to flow down by way of a series of copper pipes encased in stone. There are taps to control flow, but they are the rather old wheel kind, and are prone to drip after a while. This means that the water pressure, generally, sucks. What's more, refilling of the rooftop tanks/reservoirs is on an as-needed basis. There are times when people will open a tap only to discover that there is no water left. Don't ask about the toilets. They are the boxy wooden variety with a lid cut in top. But they do not empty into cesspits and they smell clean, if not slightly of chemical alcohol. They also don't flush. But any character who tries to investigate any further is likely to get a nasty surprise. Food and Drink So, what sorts of things did they eat way back when, do you ask? Well, generally, whatever was available and easily made from raw ingredients. But with the Keep's level of technological backwardness, this means that a lot of the processed foods you'd think would make for a simple meal really don't. In fact, the greater the ratio of guests to kitchen hands pitching in at the Keep, the less extravagant and more plain-fair the food will become in order to keep up. Bread must be baked every one or two days, from scratch. The Bessies must be milked and the cream separated and then used to make butter. Fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices must all be picked, and the fruits pulped for juice or jams and jellies. Eggs must be collected. No part of a butchered animal ever goes to waste - never ask Joe what is in the sausages - but by and large, characters will find themselves eating bread, fruit, vegetables and preserves in far greater proportions than meat, especially if they don't want to cook themselves. That said, things like ice cream, fruit pies and boiled candy can be found, more so if your character sets out to make these things themselves. Generally, anything that can be made completely from scratch without any sort of electrical appliance could theoretically be found at the Keep. It's just less likely to be found if it doesn't form part of a staple diet, and will only be in the form it would have been in during 1350's-1550's Europe. This means that anything baked must be made with yeast, and the rare supplies of chocolate and coffee are unsweetened and only good for drinking. The big exception, of course, is alcohol. The staff made sure that they had grains set up and fermenting a long time ago, so there is always fresh alcohol aged just enough to be consumed. It's not as good as back home, and is probably too strong by half, but it's always there. Clothing Because of a reliance on hand sewing, manual spinning and weaving (again with the lack of electricity and it's convenient appliances) clothing in the middle ages and early renaissance tended to be a lot simpler than it is today, unless you were a wealthy aristocrat and needed to flaunt your status. Then it could get pretty complex. Luckily, Lord Deior does not think so highly of his guests, but neither does he expect them to make their own clothes from scratch (unless they want to), so the spare clothing provided at the Keep generally tends towards functionality rather than extravagance. In general, clothing consists of an under-dress or undershirt (kirtle, chemise or tunic) of rough cotton or wool. For women, this is covered by a pair of vest-like garments that lace up in a variety of ways to make a bodice. Bodices can be decorated with embroidery or else made of brocade. They can have a little bit of trim or not. It all depends on taste. Skirts attach by lacing to the base of the bodice and usually go to the floor. Outfits are usually high-waisted. Sleeves can attach to the bodice. They can be gauntlets of fabric or slashed pieces that hang down, or else full sleeves laced down the length of the arm to let the chemise show through. Men generally wore a doublet - a sleeved, fitted jacket that could lace up at the front or back - over their under-shirt, though they could also wear a sleeveless fitted jerkin which laces up in the same way. Or both. They could also wear knee-length, stiff, robe-like gowns or belted outer tunics. Pants consisted of hose, a leggings-like garment that laced into the bottom of the jerkin or doublet, and was only sewn together at the back. Hose laced up at the front, and men would frequently wear a codpiece or let their tops hang long to cover up better. All spare clothing can be found in the Clothier's Tower. If your character would like something different (like a bra, for example) then they're going to have to enlist the help of someone to make it for them. Fabrics in the Keep generally stick to cotton and wool. Satins, silks and other finer things were available in the time period, but they are much rarer in the game. Colours are neutrals or earthen tones, because they're the cheapest and easiest available. This means greens, browns, creams, grays and rusts are most common. However, the materials for making dyes of more vibrant colours (flowers, berries, some powders) are available, if characters would like to put in the time to make something themselves. Winter wear is typically lined with wool or fur and quilted for that added bit of added warmth. Linen and Laundry Beds in the middle ages were either thin straw mattresses, or feather beds. Lord Deior has such concern for the comfort of his guests, that they have been afforded the comfort of the latter. Along with 100% down pillows. Sheets and blankets, like clothing, are typically made of cotton or wool, though they too can be quilted for extra warmth. Spares can be found in the upper scullery in the Clothier's Tower. Laundry also takes place in the upper scullery. As there is only one washing machine, and if it is in use, characters may have to employ more traditional methods. Clothing and linen was typically washed in a barrel or large basin in hot water, by hand. Entertainment Music Instruments of the period included wood flutes, harps, lyres, early fiddles, early guitars, panpipes, recorders, hand drums, tambourines, and lutes. All of these instruments can be found either in the Keep's music room in the Bower or in the minstrel's gallery in The Great Keep. If your character can adapt a musical talent or else knows how to play any of them, then they can play whatever music they like. There is, however, some period-appropriate music provided. There are also two harpsichords (early pianos), on in the Bower and the other in the minstrel's gallery. Dance Dance of the period generally consisted of group dances with a number of trios or pairs, as dancing was a social activity more than it was a performing art. However, as ballet and other styles of performance were just beginning to emerge, ballet shoes can be found in the dance hall in the Bower. There are also some anachronistic (and useless, as there isn't a pair among them) tap shoes in the same room. Art Art goes here. Games and Sports Games like dice, cards and chess existed in various forms, and equipment for them can be found scattered about the common halls of the Keep, particularly in the towers of the Inner Gates and the Barracks common hall. Gambling was also not uncommon, but characters in the Keep will need to get creative with their bets. Other board games included backgammon and early forms of checkers such as nine men's morris and alquerques. Sets for these are also not difficult to find. Non-martial sports included things like quoits (tossing a rope ring around a pin from a certain distance), lawn bowls or skittles (similar to tenpin bowling). Equipment for these can be found stashed in a corner of the armoury. Tourneys, Balls and Festivals These don't happen very often, but when they do, they're big. They all typically involve a feast or banquet of some kind, as well as music and dancing, but the style varies with the nature of the event. Tourneys, while always festive, are competitive at the end of the day. Martial events include jousting, archery and melee fights, hammer tossing and quarter-staff matches. The winner of each event can expect a prize of some kind, and while most of the Keep's weaponry may not be good for fighting, it is excellent for practising at tourney. There is also a quintain, or straw man with a wooden shield, for people to practice the joust against. In the tradition of courtly love, the tourney champion is expected to crown one of the spectators as most beautiful. Competitors might also request favours or tokens of good luck from non-combatants. Tourneys are typically followed by feasts, drunken revelry, music and dancing. Balls are a far more stately affair. Guests are expected to come in their best. Music, dance and conversation are the main course for the evening though there may be a finer banquet than is served at most other celebrations. Festivals typically celebrate a particular calendar event or anniversary. These include things like Halloween, Christmas and midsummer. They are, if possible, held outdoors to take advantage of a large bonfire. But this is not always possible. While there is feasting, music and dance as always, they are considerably less formal than a ball, and usually include some sort of theme specifically tied to the event being celebrated. Weaponry and Armour Almost all of the Keep's weaponry and armour can be found in the Armoury. There are broadswords, longswords, daggers, bows, war-hammers, battle-axes, flails, maces, morningstars, lances, pikes and spears. All of these weapons have been limited so that none will strike a one-hit lethal blow, but they are all still very dangerous, particularly in the right hands. As such, the Master at Arms keeps a careful watch to make sure that anything borrowed is returned before too long. Break, alter or try to smuggle away weaponry and he will likely come looking for you. There is also a much smaller selection of armour. While steel plate and chain mail were growing in popularity throughout the period, neither of these can be found at the Keep. There is, however, scale and plate armour made of thick boiled leather. Characters are welcome to help themselves to anything they like, but it might be a good idea to get it fitted properly first, and to learn how to put it on. There are no steel shields to be found within the Keep. There are some small steel bucklers in the armoury, as well as some sturdy but heavy wooden shields. These too are available for characters' use. Category:Setting